I enjoyed this war quite a bit, even though we lost in the end. I guess there’s nothing like being the clear underdog to take off the pressure! With the difference in strength between the clans this could easily have been a mauling, but as the war progressed it became clear that we had a shot. However, in the end they were just too strong in terms of TH and experience level. Looking at the numbers, we actually outperformed them in all departments and at all levels. Our TH8’s especially did very well, but even at the top level our attacks were a bit better than theirs. So how did we lose then? Basically, we didn’t throw enough attacks at their top levels. Although they scored less stars per attack against our top guys, they did execute 30% more attacks against high level bases. If you have a look at the war map, they 2-starred every single TH9 base, while we left five bases with only 1-star (already an improvement on four zero stars against Fire Guardians!). This is shown clearly in the stars left behind by TH level:

Supreme Cream!

Enemy

TH10

5

11

TH9

9

13

TH8

16

12

Sum

30

36

From the table, we left 24 top level stars behind compared to 14. Their TH8 attacks were not very good (leaving 16 stars behind), which kept us in the war. We actually scored 7 more stars against TH8 bases than the minimum asked for (from the pre-war stats). This was because of some good TH8 attacks, as well as a bit of help from our TH9’s. On the other hand, we got only 21 out of 24 minimum stars against their top bases (88% – already a big improvement from previously).

So our TH8 level is running pretty well, but we keep losing (and drawing) wars because of our inability to score enough stars against TH9&10 bases. What’s the answer? I’m afraid there is no quick fix. We have a number of new TH9’s, and it will take some time for those bases to level the necessary troops, as well as gain experience attacking with those troops. Obviously this means that levelling of Golems, Pekkas and Hogs are important, and also practising with those troops against TH9 bases; especially in easier wars once we’re sure of victory. For our high TH8’s I would suggest levelling and using those troops as much as possible before hitting TH9, as it would make the transition much smoother. Finally, a word on some of the most popular attack compositions and when to use it:

Mass Dragons

Still the most effective way to get 3-stars against TH7 and up to mid TH8 bases. Also pretty consistent at getting 2-stars against high TH8’s. Therefore, this should still be our go-to attack against TH7&8 bases, only using other compositions to get an additional star from high TH8 bases. This means that upgrading dragons to level 3 is still the most important attacking objective for TH8 players. Against TH9 bases dragons rapidly lose their potency, and although 2-stars is possible, it’s by no means a certainty.

GoWiPe

Golems, Wizards and Pekkas (with some wall breakers thrown in). Tough to level at TH8, so I haven’t seen many of these attacks executed by TH8 players. However, this is one of the most popular attack at higher levels. No matter which army composition you prefer, you will need access to GoWiPe at some point. Seems like a solid 2-star attack against TH8 and TH9 bases, but difficult to get 3-stars. Therefore, it’s probably not much of an upgrade over dragons at TH8, but definitely an option to get our minimum stars against TH9 bases (even by TH8 players – see Tirn’s 2-star attack against a TH9). Also, there are a lot of YouTube videos discussing GoWiPe, which should give you a good idea of the general strategy.

Hogs

Ah, the little piggies… Hog attacks can be incredibly powerful against TH8&9 bases, but they do have some issues. Firstly, they are quite weak until they hit level 3, and you really need level 4 hogs. Secondly, it’s one of the few attacks with a hard counter. If your hogs run into double giant bombs, game over. Finally, the Town Hall is often one of the last buildings to go down in a hog attack. So if you don’t clear the base, you can easily end up with a 90% 1-star attack. I would guess hogs have a higher 3-star and lower 2-star percentage than GoWiPe. All this means that Hogs are specialized attacks – you should only attack specific bases, preferably without double bomb placements or where you can trigger the bombs. Because of the higher variance, hogs are also good when trying to get 3-stars off tough bases that’s already been 2-starred. I don’t think this should be your main attack, but it’s important to have as an option against specific bases or in specific situations.

At the higher levels there are many other options – HoLo, GoWiWi, Loonian and Valks to name a few. All these are powerful and the correct attack against certain bases. However, you can only gradually add attacking options, and I’ve selected Dragons, GoWiPe and Hogs because they can (and should) be trained even at TH8.

Editor Note: After dragons, I would prioritize leveling up hogs at TH8. It’s a large chunk of DE, which will delay maxing your Barb King (lvl 10), but IMO its a good trade-off, as many tougher TH8 bases that are anti-dragon can be beaten with a TH8 hog attack, and it makes for great practice for when you hit TH9 where hogs shine. GoWiPe at TH8 is fairly limited and only viable against very spread out or poorly walled TH8s, or when attempting to hit a TH9 to snipe a town hall for two stars.

I find myself flush with DE at TH8, but I prioritized the drills and DE when raiding. You get plenty of 500+ DE in tanks from TH7&8 players, and usually you can get those with a giant/archer/goblin/wb army. These bases often have a lot of gold and elixir too, so I farm those almost by accident, while going after the DE.

I’m the same, getting DE with no problems whatsoever. I only go after gold from bases now.

As for the war, I think it’s worth reminding higher ups not to hit down when we are outmatched (not too far anyway), people scared of getting 2 stars on a TH9. I know that potentially means attacking someone more powerful but the problem just cascades down the chain to other people with less options. Instances like these are the perfect chance to try stuff as we are probably going to loose anyway.

Saw a few people with dragons completely fail on TH7 bases as well, what’s that about?